Automatic molding plant operation method

ABSTRACT

An automatic molding plant and operational method having a plurality of traverse carts or bogies to convey box molds. The molds are transferred from a sidetrack at a loading station and are ready for casting, then to a casting station or train and from there to an unloading station by way of a cooling track comprising at least two conveying paths positioned in different horizontal planes. Liftable and/or lowerable end sections are provided at the ends of the conveying paths, and the sidetrack is connected with one conveying path through the loading and unloading stations. Transferable weighing members are placed in the box molds in front of the casting station and are conveyed from the unloading station to the loading station on the traverse carts. After part of the cooling track has been traversed, the mold packs are separated from the box molds, and the box molds are returned to the molding machine while the mold pack traverses the remaining of the cooling track in an undamaged manner.

1 1 AUTOMATIC MOLDING PLANT OPERATION METHOD [75] lnventor: Friedrich B.Becke, Wolfartsweier,

Germany [73] Assignee: Badische Maschinenfabrik,

Karlsruhe, Germany [22] Filed: July 18, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 272,750

Related U.S. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 97,123, Dec. 11,1970, Pat. No.

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 11,1969 Germany P 19 62131.9

[52] US. Cl 164/18, 164/130, 164/137 [51] Int. Cl 322d 33/00 [58] Fieldof Search....; 164/18, 130, 137,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Burnett 164/18 Carignan164/18 X 0 1:1 EIEIEBWBEIEEI [451 July 3, 1973 7 Primary Examiner-RobertD. Baldwin Attorney-Craig & Antonelli [57] ABSTRACT An automatic moldingplant and operational method having a plurality of traverse carts orbogies to convey box molds. The molds are transferred from a sidetrackat a loading station and are ready for casting, then to a castingstation or train and from there to an unloading station by way of acooling track comprising at least two conveying paths positioned indifferent horizontal planes. Liftable and/or lowerable end sections areprovided at the ends of the conveying paths, and the sidetrack isconnected with one conveying path through the loading and unloadingstations. Transferable weighing members are placed in the box molds infront of the casting station and are conveyed from the unloading stationto the loading station on the traverse carts. After part of the coolingtrack has been traversed, the mold packs are separated from the boxmolds, and the box molds are returned to the molding machine while themold pack traverses the remaining of the cooling track in an undamagedmanner.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PAIENIEDJUL3 I975 Q g; @N

Uonum lxl I PATENIEDJULB I975 3 743 004 SHEET 3 [IF 4 PATENTEDJULIB 197s3.743.004

SHEEI H 0F 4 AUTOMATIC MOLDING PLANT OPERATION METHOD This is a divisionof application Ser. No. 97,123 filed Dec. 11, 1970, now U.S. Pat. No.3,682,236 issued Aug. 8, 1972.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to anautomatic molding plant operating method wherein a plurality of traversebogies or carts conveys the molds, which were transferred from asidetrack at a loading station and are ready for casting, to the castingstation and from there to the unloading station by way of a coolingtrain or track. Transposable weighting elements are placed on the moldsin front of the casting station and are conveyed from the unloadingstation to the loading station on the traverse bogies. After part of thecooling train has been traversed, the mold boxes are separated from thesand pack, whereupon the boxes return to the molding machine, while theundamaged sand pack traverses the second part of the cooling train. Theexpression mold pack used in the following description means the sandand casting on a pack without a box.

Modern molding processes should have low space requirements with respectto the basic area necessary and should be readily adaptable to variouscooling periods of different castings. They also should make do with assmall a number of boxes or foundry flasks as possible.

A conventional molding plant is shown, for example, in

U.S. Pat. No. 3,029,482, wherein two rows of box molds are conveyedside-by-side on a horizontal rail conveyor guided in one plane, theclosing and emptying of the box molds taking place at certain locationsof the loop sections and the box molds traverse the path twice bytransposition.

Also, traverse tracks are known wherein the traverses are loaded withmolds at the molding station, with the weighting being effected at thecasting station. Then, the conveying of the molds through the coolingpath until the emptying step is conducted in only one plane, whereas thereturn of the empty traverse carts, which are unused for the cooling ofthe molds, is effected in a second plane and mostly underneath thecooling train.

In case of long cooling periods, the plants known heretofore with railconveyor result in a very large space requirement, due to the largeradii of curvature of the rail tracks. Furthermore, many boxes arerequired because the boxes must pass through the entire cooling path.Also traverse bogies or carriages have large space requirements, sincethe cooling of the molds takes place only in one plane.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an aim of the present invention toovercome the problems and disadvantages encountered in the conventionalmolding plants.

The present invention has an object, among others, of providing anautomatic molding plant which has a low requirement of basic area andoffers an adaptation to various cooling periods. Besides, as few boxesas possible are required, even in case of long cooling periods, and thecastings are to have the possibility of cooling off uniformly in theundestroyed or undamaged sand pack after ejection from the box.Furthermore, the construction of the plant and the devices employedtherein are simplc'and safe in operation.

An essential feature of the present invention resides in that at leasttwo conveying paths which are positioned in different horizontal planesand covered with molds are provided in a superimposed relationship.Liftable and/or lowerable end sections are provided at the ends of theseconveying paths, and the sidetrack is connected with a conveying trackthrough the unloading station and through the loading station.

The traverse bogies are provided with at least two deposit points, andat least one free storage place or area being provided for receiving themold. At least one further storage place within a U-shaped trough isprovided for receiving the ejected mold packs and for transporting theweighting elements. At two places, a device is arranged for transposingthe weighting elements between the mold and the U-shaped trough of thetraverse bogie, and the molds and mold packs conveyed on the traversebogies determine vertical and parallel planes of circulation, betweenwhich the mold packs ejected from the box molds are transferred. Such asimple construction in accordance with the present invention also has,in addition to the sidetrack with the separator, the molding machine andthe manipulator, a traverse track for the weighting, pouring, andcooling of the molds extending in several horizontally superimposed railplanes. Since at least two deposit points are provided on the individualtraverse trains, tee mold packs are placed into the various verticallyparalleldisposed track planes by transferring the same.

Starting with the basic concept of the present invention, variousindividual construction features result. For the design with a pivotaltransfer or conveying device, the unloading station can be constructedwith a triple traverser carriage disposed displaceable above theconveying path, in such a manner that a mold pack pusher, a weightingelement transposer and a box mold transfer member are provided therein.A suitable design of the weighting element transposer can be such that acontrollable clamp is provided in the movable triple traverser carriageand engages in a fitting carrying section or profile of the weightingelement.

It is also possible to provide different solutions for the individualcomponents other than the ones described herein without departing fromthe general idea of the present invention. For example, it is suggestedto provide a triple traverser carriage in the unloading station, whichstation is connected with a mold pack transfer means. This mold packtransfer means can be designed in the shape of a swivel chute which canbe pivoted between a receiving position when joined to the charging orejector station and a discharging position in parallel the thelongitudinal axis of the traverse bogies and exhibits a conventionalfeed drive (pivotal transfer means). Since it is desired that the swivelchute be in contact with the U-shaped trough of the traverse bogie astightly as possible, circular-arc-shaped fittings are suitably providedbetween the swivel chute and the U- shaped trough of the traverse bogie.

An advantageous feature of the present invention for the unloading step,particularly the unloading of large box molds, results from anotherdistribution of the individual operations by conducting the unloading ofthe mold packs and the transposition of the weighting elements in onestation, whereas the transfer of the box mold onto the roller train, theejection, and the transfer of the mold pack into the trought of thetraverser carriage are conducted in a further station. A transfer deviceis disposed above the track of the box molds in a displaceable, as wellas liftable and lowerable manner and is provided with gripper armspivotal on both sides of the box mold and firmly grasping the box molddue to the contour thereof. A vertical transfer means for the mold packis realized by providing, above the box mold transfer device, astationary chute adapted to the dimension of the mold pack with anopening in the bottom above the mold pack ejector having the size of-themold pack and with a transfer or pushing member adapted to the crosssection of the chute, the operating path of which corresponds to thedistance from the pusher or ejector to the plane Y of the traversetrain. For the operation of a vertical transfer means, it is necessaryto construct the troughs so that they can be lifted off in the upwarddirection and are centered in the horizontal position when placed on thetraverse by means of centering devices.

An advantageous operating method which can be conducted with theabove-described molding plant re sides in unilaterally discharging, inthe unloading station, the mold pack, which is present in a trough onthe traverser carriage, onto a vibration train or track, whereas the boxmold travels on the other side after the transfer of the superimposedweighting element for ejecting the mold pack into the zone of theejector or pusher.

The empty box molds travel in the sidetrack to the molding machine and,after the molding and the production of the molds ready for casting, tothe feeding or loading station. The weighting element is transposed ontothe U-shaped trough of the traverser carriage at the unloading stationand is conveyed thereby to the loading station. The ejected mold pack ispushed into the U-shaped trough of a traverser carriage by a mold packtransfer means, whereby the mold packs are introduced into thedifferent, vertically parallel track planes.

In the loading station, the weighting element is transposed from theU-shaped trough onto the mold ready for casting. The traverse carriagestravel along the casting train, in each case laden with weightingelements, molds with boxes and mold packs, up to an end section orterminal of the first conveying path, and are thereat transposed into asecond conveying path lying in a different track plane, so as to travelalong this latter path until reaching the other end section of theconveying path, and are once again transposed into the track plane ofthe first conveying path.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING These and further features, objects andadvantages of the present invention will become more apparent from thefollowing description which shows, for purposes of illustration only,several embodiments in accordance with the present invention andwherein:

FIG. I is a schematic plan view of a molding plant with a pivotaltransfer means according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view similar to FIG. 1 with a vertical transfer means;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a triple traverser carriage;

FIG. 4 is a front view ofa vertical transfer means; and

FIG. 5 is a view at right angles to the conveying direction of atraverser carriage with a trough.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Referring now to the drawing, theconveying paths within the traverse track are disposed in two verticalplanes X and Y and in two horizontal planes A and B as shown in FIG. 3.In the embodiment of FIG. 1, a conveying path 1 is illustrated which isconnected with a sidetrack 4 via a loading station 2 and an unloadingstation 3. As seen in FIG. 3, a conveying path 8 with an impact orimpulse drive 6 is disposed in a lower horizontal track planeBunderneath the conveying path 1 on which traverser carriages 5 orbigies, which are in contact with each other, are movable with the aidof an impact or impulse drive 7. Between these conveying paths 1, 8, thetraverser carriages 5 can be vertically transposed by means of lowerableand raisable end sections 9, 10.

The traverse bogies or carriages 5 have on one side thereof a depositingor storage place 11 for storing the box mold l4 composed of a cope l2and a drag 13 as shown in FIG. 3 and, on the other side, a furtherdepositing place 15 within a U-shaped trough 16, which, in each case, isprovided fixedly on the traverser carriages 5 as in FIG. 3 or verticallyremovable as in FIG. 4. The U-shaped trough serves for receiving moldpacks 17 consisting of the casting surrounded by molding sand. Thecross-section of the trough, in this connection, is adapted to thedimension of the mold pack, so that the sand is supported or shored onthree sides as seen in FIG. 5. A weighting element 18 is placed on thebox molds 14 on the traverse track or path 1, 8 and is carried on thepath without box molds between stations 2 and 3, by the U-shaped trough16.

The box molds are poured at the casting train 19. After traversing thecooling path in the plane X-X, the box molds pass into the zone of theunloading station 3, as shown in FIG. 1, with triple traverser carriage20 shown in FIG. 3. Numeral 21 denotes a box mold cleaner, and numeral32 a sand pack ejector. In the sidetrack 4, numeral 23 represents aseparator, numeral 24 represents a singleor double-molding machine,numeral 77 is a turning means for the drags, and numeral 25 is anassembly or finishing means. The box molds are propelled through thesidetrack 4 by the push cylinder 28 with the counter cylinder 29. Thetransportation of the box molds through stations 2 and 3 iscorrespondingly effected by push cylinder 31, 26, cooperating with thecounter cylinders 30 and 27, respectively.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, a pivotal transfer means 42 is providedbetween the ejection or discharge station 32 and the traverser carriages5. This pivotal transfer means 42 consists of a swivel chute 39 intowhich can be ejected, one mold pack 17 with the aid of the impact drive22. Thereafter, the swivel chute 39 pivots through a right angle andpushes, with the aid of an ejection device 40 installed therein, themold pack 17 into the U-shaped trough 16 of the position 34. Fortransposing the weighting elements 18, the clamp 35 with liftingcylinder 43 is provided. A vibrating conveyor 38 takes over the sandpacks with the casting transferred by the pack pusher 44. By means ofthe hoisting drive 45, the pusher 44 can be raised to such an extentthat it moves past the transposed weighting I element during the returnof the triple traverser carriage 20. A second pusher with hoisting drive37 is lowered, after the advancement of the carriage 20, into the rangeof the molding boxes and pushes the boxes during their return ride ontothe roller conveyor 36. The ejection station 32, according to FIG. 3,operates in such a manner that the mold pack remains at its level on thestationary plate or platform 47, whereas the drive 48 with the yoke 49strips the box off in the downward direction. During this procedure, thebox remains stationary on the roller conveyor section 78 which islowered against the force of the hoisting drive 79.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a mold pack is pushed onto thevibrating track 38 in a station 33 with a double traverser carriagewhich is provided with the same devices as the triple traverser carriagefor transposing the weights and transferring the mold packs. A weightingelement is transposed from the box mold in the conveying plane X to atrough in the conveying plane Y. In the subsequent station 41, which isshown in FIG. 4, the box mold 46 is transferred from the traversercarriage 5 onto the roller conveyor 50, and the trough 51 is lifted bymeans of the gripper 52 with drive 53 to the level of the U-shaped chute54. Upon the lowering thereof, the trough is centered with respect toits position to the traverser carriage by means of pins 55 which fitinto corresponding bores 56. A box mold transfer means 57 has runners orsmall rollers 58 traveling in rails 59 on both sides of the U-shapedchute 54. By means of the drive 60 via rod 61 and lever 62, the transfermeans can be lifted with cranks 63 in order to be able to freelytransfer especially heavy box molds. In this connection, the box moldsare seized at the trunnions or pins 65 by the gripper arms 66 pivotableby means of the drive 67. The forward movement of all box molds on theroller conveyor 50 and in the gripper 66 is effected by the drive 64.

At the ejection point 32, the mold pack is ejected from the box 81 bythe butt plate 68 by'means of the drive 69 in the upward directionthrough the box holder 70 and the bottom opening 71 into the U-shapedchute 54. Then, the mold pack is transferred by the butt plate 72attached to the carriage 73, with the aid of the rack and pinion drive74 and the motor 75, through the U-shaped chute 54 into the trough 51which had been raised to the same level. The empty boxes 76 then returnto the molding machine 24 by way of the sidetrack 4.

The chutes 39, 54 as well as the troughs 16 are adapted to the breadthof the molding sand pack 17 with respect to their breadth, whereas theweighting element 18 is adapted, to the width of the trough 16 withrespect to its length as shown in FIG. 5.

The mode of operation of the automatic molding plant will now beexplained hereinbelow with reference to a plant as shown in FIGS. 1 and3. The starting point is a traverser carriage 5 present in the unloadingstation 3 wherein, on the deposit point within the U-shaped trough 16, amold pack 17 is disposed, while on the storage place 11 there isinitially deposited a poured mold l4 composed of a cope l2 and a drag 13with a weighting element 18 placed thereon. With the aid of the tripletraverser carriage 20, the weighting element 18 is first gripped by theclamping device 35 and lifted with the aid ofa hoisting device 43, whilea pack pusher 44 is placed into its lowermost position by its associatedlifting device 45. The box pusher or ejector 80 is in its upperposition. At this point, the triple traverser carriage is first moved tothe right. During this step, the mold pack 17 is pushed out of theU-shaped trough 16 toward the vibrating train 38, and the weightingelement 18 is placed on the U-shaped trough l6. Thereafter, the packpusher 44 is placed into its highest position, and the box pusher ismoved into its lowermost position by the drive 37. At this point, thetriple traverser carriage 20 moves toward the left, and the box mold 14relinquishes the deposit point 11 whileall molds 14 disposed in frontthereof are advanced by one step or stage.

Thus, a new mold 14 passes into the zone of the ejector drive 48, whichreleases the mold packs 17 by pressing the box downwardly on the rollerconveyor 78 via the yoke 49 against the holding force of the drive 79.The mold pack comes to a standstill on the fixed plate 47 and is movedby the pusher 22 toward the pivotal transfer means 39. The presentlyempty boxes travel into the box cleaning device 21, then are separatedin the separator 23, and fed to the molding machine 24 which molds thecopes and drags. Only the drags are turned in the turning unit 77, andthen the cores are inserted. In the closing or finisher device 25, thefinished molds are then produced which are deposited in the loadingstation 2 by the drive 26 onto the depositing point 11 of a traversercarriage. The weighting element 18 positioned on a trough 16 in theunloading station 3 is placed on the box mold on the storage point 11 bymeans of similar devices shown in FIG. 3. Thereafter, the molds 14travel through the casting train 19 for the casting operation. At theend of the conveying path in plane A, the traverser carriages 5 arelowered at station 9 to the conveying path in plane B and, at the endthereof, are again lifted at station 10, to the conveying path in planeA.' The traverser carriage 5 leaves the unloading station 3 with emptydepositing points 11, 15 with the weighting element 18 being placed onthe U- shaped trough 16. Now, the empty traverser carriage 5 arrives inthe zone of the pivotal transfer means 39 which has received the moldpack 17 from the ejector 32 and pushes the pack into the U-shaped trough16 of the traverser carriage 5 at position 34. Thereafter, the traversercarriage 5 travels with unoccupied depositing points 11 along theconveying path of planes X-A to the loading station 2. On this conveyingpath, the mold packs 17 are disposed within the U-shaped troughs 16carrying the weighting elements 18.

On the conveying path in plane B, the traverser carriages 5 have bothdepositing points occupied as shown in FIG. 3. In case longer coolingperiods are prescribed, the troughs l6 and traverser carriages 5 can belengthened for receiving two or more mold packs. By the fact that thewidth of the chutes 39, 54 and the troughs 16 is adapted to thedimensions of the mold packs, the mold packs cannot disintegrate, andthe casting remain covered with sand along the entire conveying path andcool off uniformly.

While I have shown and described several embodiments in accordance withthe present invention, it is to be clearly understood that the same issusceptible of numerous changes and modifications as will be apparent toone skilled in the art. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to thedetails shown and described herein, but intend to cover all such changesand modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the presentinvention.

I claim:

1. Automatic molding plant operation method, comprising:

discharging a mold pack located in a U-shaped' trough on a traversecarriage at an unloading station unilaterally toward a vibratingconveyor;

transferring a weighting member disposed on a filled box mold on theother side of the traverse carriage upon the U-shaped trough;

passing the filled box mold into the zone of a mold pack ejector;

ejecting the mold pack from the filled box mold by means of the moldpack ejector;

pushing the ejected mold pack into the weighted U- shaped trough;

conveying the now-empty box on a sidetrack to a molding machine forproducing the molds;

moving the box molds to a loading station;

conveying the ejected mold pack and weighting member on the U-shapedtrough to the loading station;

pushing the ejected mold pack into the U-shaped trough; and

transposing the weighting member at the loading station from theU-shaped trough to the box mold ready for casting;

conveying the weighted box mold through a pouring station to thetransferring area; and

conveying the ejected mold pack in the U-shaped trough to said unloadingstation.

2. Automatic molding plant operation method according to claim 1,further including conveying the traverse carriage carrying the boxmolds, the weighting members and mold packs along a casting train up toa first end section of a first conveying path in a first conveyingplane;

conveying the traverse carriage along the second conveying until arrivalat a second end station; and

transposing the traverse carriage into a second conveying path in asecond conveying plane; and

again transposing the traverse carriage into the first conveying planeof the first conveying path.

1. Automatic molding plant operation method, comprising: discharging amold pack located in a U-shaped trough on a traverse carriage at anunloading station unilaterally toward a vibrating conveyor; transferringa weighting member disposed on a filled box mold on the other side ofthe traverse carriage upon the U-shaped trough; passing the filled boxmold into the zone of a mold pack ejector; ejecting the mold pack fromthe filled box mold by means of the mold pack ejector; pushing theejected mold pack into the weighted U-shaped trough; conveying thenow-empty box on a sidetrack to a molding machine for producing themolds; moving the box molds to a loading station; conveying the ejectedmold pack and weighting member on the Ushaped trough to the loadingstation; pushing the ejected mold pack into the U-shaped trough; andtransposing the weighting member at the loading station from theU-shaped trough to the box mold ready for casting; conveying theweighted box mold through a pouring station to the transferring area;and conveying the ejected mold pack in the U-shaped trough to saidunloading station.
 2. Automatic molding plant operation method accordingto claim 1, further including conveying the traverse carriage carryingthe box molds, the weighting members and mold packs along a castingtrain up to a first end section of a first conveying path in a firstconveying plane; conveying the traverse carriage along the secondconveying path until arrival at a second end station; and transposingthe traverse carriage into a second conveying path in a second conveyingplane; and again transposing the traverse carriage into the firstconveying plane of the first conveying path.